Every night, when Hanna would go to sleep, I would take a long walk around the city. It gave me time to clear my mind while Hanna rested. I would stroll through the dark streets, sometimes stopping at the library to drop off a book I'd recently finished in the 24-hour bin, sometimes not, but mostly just wandering by the orange reflections of the old street lights. After dying, I remembered nothing of my life. I couldn't even remember my own grave. I just decided to wander, quietly observing. I continued this for ten years until finally, I met Hanna. It took less than a mere day for Hanna to accept and welcome me into his life, and as the sun slid down the dark maw of the city skyline one early October night, I walked with Hanna's company.

Usually, I would take my daily walk after Hanna had gone to bed, but today wasn't a normal day - though one could argue that no day in Hanna's company was normal. The redhead had asked to accompany me, but as we walked, it became increasingly apparent that he had no intentions of going around my regular block or two. Instead, Hanna skipped beside me, chittering at me about the changing seasons and how really he needed to get me a new scarf because wow mine was way too winter-y.

"So I'm thinking something orange and brown? To match the season, I mean. Pumpkin time is my favorite time of the year, did you know that? I'll bet you could guess. You already know me so well, Oberon."

The side of my mouth twitched at the new name. Hanna's inextinguishable enthusiasm always left me with the faint feeling of clenching in my chest. A lot of things Hanna did left me feeling this way. From what I've deduced, it could perhaps be labeled happiness. I pondered the ghosts of feelings I could only presume were once more apparent in my life as we walked the busy city streets. I was, of course, wearing my usual jacket, the hat Hanna had given me as a Christmas present a year before, and the scarf currently in question now that it was suitable weather to cover one's body from the autumn chill. Hanna kicked at a stray leaf as we approached the less populated side of town, and the thought crossed my mind that it was odd to believe I had known Hanna nearly an entire year. When had the anniversary of our meeting occurred exactly? My long-term traipsing without a near clue as to my previous identity left, as well as other things, my memory for dates lacking. I resolved not to ask as of now for fear of hurting Hanna.

"Edmund? Hey, Earth to Alphonse?"

Hanna was waving his hand in front of me.

"Yes?"

My partner scrunched his mouth to one side, frowning.

"You weren't listening, were you, bro?" He didn't wait for my answer. "I was saying that I got an email yesterday from some guy asking us to get rid of some creature for him."

I watched Hanna, curious to see where this case would take us. It was odd Hanna hadn't mentioned it earlier, though it did explain why he had wanted to go out into the chilly air instead of staying in or crashing Conrad's apartment.

"He does not know what kind of creature it is that is bothering him?"

"Apparently not," Hanna answered, taking a turn around a corner to follow a trail of older-looking homes down the sidewalk. "He said he couldn't tell what it was, but he did say it was giving him 'evil visions' and stalking around the shadows of his home, so that kinda sounds malicious. His house isn't too far from here, though, so I guess we'll find out!"

He pulled out a piece of paper with directions and an address scribbled messily on it, and I wondered if he had his hammer and sharpie shoved in his long jacket pockets as well. I knew I was at least half correct.

"153 Chestnut Avenue….aha! It's that one!"

Hanna laughed in triumph, pointing towards a dark greenish house, lined only by a few dying trees. It was in near disarray with the wilting plants and chipping paint, but the setting sun's orange lambency combined with the faint reflection of the similarly coloured street lights left it looking eerier than I suspected it did at noon. Nonetheless, the setting sun and artificial light were the only things making this house look anywhere near welcoming. It appeared to have no light coming from within. Hanna grabbed my gloved hand and pulled me towards it without apprehension.

"Come on, Malvolio!"

It wasn't until we reached the old wooden porch that Hanna let go of my hand. I immediately missed the warmth he radiated melting through my glove. He glanced at the door, looking around for the proper way to knock.

"Why don't we just try the doorbell?" I offered. He grinned back at me.

"Of course!"

He pressed the small button quickly, glancing at me as we waited patiently for whomever occupied the old house to answer. I suppose I waited patiently for our future client. Hanna rocked back and forth on his heels in barely contained excitement.

Finally, the door creaked open, revealing a glimpse of a man through the small crack.

"Hello?"

"Hi! I'm Hanna Falk Cross, paranormal investigator, and this is my partner. I believe we were asked to come to this address to help with a troublesome creature?"

Hanna beamed up at the man as he opened the door quickly. The client was a short, dark man, fidgety and nervous. He wrung his hands together as he looked us both up and down in the light cast from behind him.

"Ah, of course… Welcome. My name is Navier Tivan. I wasn't expecting you to come so…" He paused, taking in Hanna's wild orange hair and my own undead appearance. "Quickly."

"Well, we're here," Hanna supplied helpfully, glancing behind Mr. Tivan in eagerness. "Would you mind if we, uh, came in? It's kinda cold out here."

"Oh, um, yes. Please, do come in."

Mr. Tivan held the door open for us, Hanna proudly waltzing into the dimly lit house while I followed behind him.

"Thank you," I said. It seemed to shock Mr. Tivan that I was capable of speech, but then again, our client appeared to be shocked by many things in the short span we knew him.

Hanna whistled appreciatively at the old house. The foyer opened up into two separate rooms, one of which, which I assumed was the kitchen, was illuminated only by small items, not by any means of electricity. The other room remained completely dark. I suppose that explained why we did not notice any lights from within before. The dark wooden staircase in front of us led upstairs to a large hall, once again only sparsely lighted, and above us I noticed an unlit electric chandelier.

"Well, if you would please follow me," Mr. Tivan coughed, appearing uncomfortable with us glancing about his home. "I would rather sit and talk about my…issue with you."

I nodded, and Hanna grinned up at the man, trailing after him towards the kitchen area. Mr. Tivan motioned for Hanna and I to sit down at a small table while he turned toward the counter, taking a few stray candles (and what I believe was a camping lantern) and placing them upon the surface.

"Would you like some tea or coffee?" he asked, grabbing a kettle from the stove top and filling it with water.

"Norton doesn't drink, but I'll have something," Hanna eagerly supplied, settling himself in a cushioned chair. "Do you have anything with chocolate in it?"

Mr. Tivan looked Hanna over once more before decidedly dropping what he appeared to want to say.

"I shall check," he answered, flicking on the stove and rummaging through a cupboard. When he finally returned, two steaming mugs in hand, Hanna had shifted his gaze around the entire kitchen and assumably gone through an internal list of what might be wrong that Mr. Tivan would require his help.

"Soooo," Hanna began, eloquent as usual. "I'm thinking you didn't call us for tea."

"No," Mr. Tivan answered, watching Hanna cautiously take an eager sip from his steaming beverage. "I have a bit of a…spirit problem."

"Spirit?" Hanna instantly perked up. I glanced at him doubtfully. Doc Worth had warned Hanna that he wasn't to deal with anymore ghosts, especially not after the case with Mr. Falun. After my possession, I wasn't too keen on the idea either.

"I think it's more of a…" Mr. Tivan waved his hand, looking for the right word. "Demon, I think."

Suddenly, I was more uneasy than before. A ghost, I knew we could at least handle, but a demon? I trusted Hanna completely, but it left a sinking feeling in my stomach that we might be in over our heads once again.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I think so. I mean, it keeps giving me these awful nightmares and sneaking around in the shadows."

"That does sound pretty malicious," Hanna muttered, glancing at me. The warm light reflecting off his glasses made him look all the more serious than any 24-year old should. "But demons don't just come out of nowhere. They're extremely dangerous and have intricate summoning requirements. You didn't…yannow, summon one, did you?"

Mr. Tivan glanced around uneasily before answering.

"No, no! I didn't! It was given to me!"

"Given to you? No matter what they say, demons don't have masters."

"I think, it came in a box," Tivan confessed, pushing his drink aside.

I watched Hanna's face for any sign of fear, but he held firm.

"What kind of box?" the redhead asked, clearly a bit perplexed.

"A…wine rack. See, I was given the wine rack as a birthday gift from a friend," he whispered, voice suddenly lower than before. I wondered how a demon could possibly be contained in a mere box, but Hanna seemed to be convinced even without the backstory. "I'm a collector of sorts, you see, but I don't want this item anymore. Usually, I'm all for the weird and rare, but I can't take this anymore!"

Mr. Tivan was visibly shaking by now, eyes looking around the room in near-panic. I was glad Hanna chose this moment to step in.

"Woah, calm down, it's ok. We can help. Just tell me a bit more about how you got this box and what you think is attacking you now."

Our client calmed himself, grabbing hold of his drink once more.

"My friend gave me the rack. He said he found it at a pawn shop and thought I'd like the antique style, but soon, it became more than just a rare find. It's consumed my life. At first, I just left it alone in the dining room. I mean, the contents were a bit weird; it contained two pennies, a lock of blonde hair, a lock of black hair, a wine goblet, a dried rose, a small a lock of blonde hair bound with cord, a lock of black/brown hair bound with cord, an engraved tablet, and a candle holder. They seemed random, and I thought it was some sort of weird joke, but after I took the items out, bad things started happening. I kept dreaming of this ugly woman. She'd just follow me, whispering behind me until finally she'd scream and turn into the most hideous thing I've ever seen! I'd wake up with scratches and welts, and soon the thing started coming after me during the day, too. It'd lurk in the shadow, just…watching me. I'd see it out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned around, it would be gone or worse, behind me. Now it keeps whispering in my ears and following me no matter where I go. You've got to stop it, please."

"Hey, we'll do our best," Hanna promised. "But I'm curious to see this box. Can you show us?"

Mr. Tivan nodded, grabbing a candle before leading us into the dining room. He set the candle down, nodding towards a corner.

"It's over there, but I'm warning you. The last time I opened it, it burst the lights out."

I glanced at Hanna. He was already scribbling a rune onto his palm with a sharpie, much to Mr. Tivan's nervous dismay.

"Hanna, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Sure!" Hanna laughed. "I think," he opened the box cautiously, and the rune on his palm glowed blue. "That this isn't quite a demon."

He was cut off by a gush of cold air seemingly coming from the box. I felt a surge of protectiveness swell in my chest and prepared myself for action, reaching for Hanna's shoulder.

Peering at the box, I was shocked to see…nothing.

"Huh. Well, that was anticlimactic, huh, Cecil?"

"It's already watching us," Mr. Tivan supplied.

"Hm, well, in that case, I think I know what this is," Hanna grinned. He turned back to Mr. Tivan, as I watched the box that had supposedly been causing our client so much stress.

"Would you mind us taking the box, Mr. Tivan?" Hanna asked? I turned my glowing gaze to him in slight shock. He wanted to take the box? Why weren't we just trying to exorcise the demon or whatever here instead?

"Sure! Take it! Take it away! I'll pay you now, just please take it if that will get rid of this….this thing!"

Tivan flicked his head toward the wine box, and Hanna smiled, closing the offending item.

"Horatio, will you pick that up for me? Don't worry, it's not of any danger right now." He turned his attention back to Mr. Tivan quickly. "So now is the matter of payment. You said you'd pay now. We're going to have to go through a good bit of work in order to get rid of this."

"Yes. Sure, sure," our client muttered in response as he ran back to the kitchen quickly and returned only to toss a pile of bills in Hanna's open hands. "I'm sure that will cover it. Please, just…get rid of it."

"Gnee, thanks!" Hanna grinned, eagerly counting the money as we walked. "This guy certainly shouldn't bother you any more!"

"Yes, well, I sure hope you know what you're getting into, Mr. Cross. Good day."

Mr. Tivan watched us until we were back on the sidewalk. When we were safely away from his home, he finally closed the door. I turned to Hanna, my eyes lighting up his face in the evening dark.

"What are we going to do with this?" I asked. Hanna only smiled at me, and I had that sinking feeling once again.

"Well first, we're going to need reinforcements."